सोमोऽग्निरीशः पवनो विरिञ्चिः ।
आदित्यविश्वे वसवोऽथ साध्या
मरुद्गणा रुद्रगणाः ससिद्धाः ॥१४॥
अन्ये च ये विश्वसृजोऽमरेशा
भृग्वादयोऽस्पृष्टरजस्तमस्काः ।
यस्येहितं न विदुः स्पृष्टमायाः
सत्त्वप्रधाना अपि किं ततोऽन्ये ॥१५॥
ahaá¹ mahendro nirá¹›tiḥ pracetÄḥ
somo 'gnir īśaḥ pavano viriñciḥ
Äditya-viÅ›ve vasavo 'tha sÄdhyÄ
marud-gaá¹‡Ä rudra-gaṇÄḥ sasiddhÄḥ
anye ca ye viÅ›va-sá¹›jo 'mareÅ›Ä
bhá¹›gv-Ädayo 'spṛṣá¹a-rajas-tamaskÄḥ
yasyehitaá¹ na viduḥ spṛṣá¹a-mÄyÄḥ
sattva-pradhÄnÄ api kiá¹ tato 'nye
aham - I, YamarÄja; mahendraḥ - Indra, the King of heaven; nirá¹›tiḥ - Nirá¹›ti; pracetÄḥ - Varuṇa, the controller of water; somaḥ - the moon; agniḥ - fire; Ä«Å›aḥ - Lord Åšiva; pavanaḥ - the demigod of the air; viriñciḥ - Lord BrahmÄ; Äditya - the sun; viÅ›ve - ViÅ›vÄsu; vasavaḥ - the eight Vasus; atha - also; sÄdhyÄḥ - the demigods; marut-gaṇÄḥ - masters of the wind; rudra-gaṇÄḥ - the expansions of Lord Åšiva; sa-siddhÄḥ - with the inhabitants of Siddhaloka; anye - others; ca - and; ye - who; viÅ›va-sá¹›jaḥ - MarÄ«ci and the other creators of the universal affairs; amara-Ä«Å›Äḥ - the demigods like Bá¹›haspati; bhá¹›gu-Ädayaḥ - the great sages headed by Bhá¹›gu; aspṛṣá¹a - who have not been contaminated; rajaḥ-tamaskÄḥ - by the lower modes of material nature (rajo-guṇa and tamo-guṇa); yasya - of whom; Ä«hitam - the activity; na viduḥ - do not know; spṛṣá¹a-mÄyÄḥ - who are illusioned by the illusory energy; sattva-pradhÄnÄḥ - chiefly in the mode of goodness; api - although; kim - what to speak of; tataḥ - than them; anye - others.
I, YamarÄja; Indra, the King of heaven; Nirá¹›ti; Varuṇa; Candra, the moon-god; Agni; Lord Åšiva; Pavana; Lord BrahmÄ; SÅ«rya, the sun-god; ViÅ›vÄsu; the eight Vasus; the SÄdhyas; the Maruts; the Rudras; the Siddhas; and MarÄ«ci and the other great ṛṣis engaged in maintaining the departmental affairs of the universe, as well as the best of the demigods headed by Bá¹›haspati, and the great sages headed by Bhá¹›gu are all certainly freed from the influence of the two base material modes of nature, namely passion and ignorance. Nevertheless, although we are in the mode of goodness, we cannot understand the activities of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. What, then, is to be said of others, who, under illusion, merely speculate to know God?
The men and other living entities within this cosmic manifestation are controlled by the three modes of nature. For the living entities controlled by the base qualities of nature, passion and ignorance, there is no possibility of understanding God. Even those in the mode of goodness, like the many demigods and great ṛṣis described in these verses, cannot understand the activities of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. As stated in Bhagavad-gÄ«tÄ, one who is situated in the devotional service of the Lord is transcendental to all the material qualities. Therefore the Lord personally says that no one can understand Him but the bhaktas, who are transcendental to all material qualities (bhaktyÄ mÄm abhijÄnÄti). As stated by BhÄ«á¹£madeva to MahÄrÄja Yudhiá¹£á¹hira in ÅšrÄ«mad-BhÄgavatam (1.9.16):
na hy asya karhicid rÄjan
pumÄn veda vidhitsitam
yad-vijijñÄsayÄ yuktÄ
muhyanti kavayo ’pi hi
“O King, no one can know the plan of the Lord [ÅšrÄ« Kṛṣṇa]. Even though great philosophers inquire exhaustively, they are bewildered.†No one, therefore, can understand God by speculative knowledge. Indeed, by speculation one will be bewildered (muhyanti). This is also confirmed by the Lord Himself in Bhagavad-gÄ«tÄ (7.3):
manuá¹£yÄṇÄá¹ sahasreá¹£u
kaścid yatati siddhaye
yatatÄm api siddhÄnÄá¹
kaÅ›cin mÄá¹ vetti tattvataḥ
Among many thousands of men, one may endeavor for perfection, and even among the siddhas, those who have already become perfect, only one who adopts the process of bhakti, devotional service, can understand Kṛṣṇa.
